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OCR for page 51
5
High-Temperature Electronic Packaging
Preceding chapters of this report have presented the
status and potential of the use of various semiconductor
devices for high-temperature applications. Depending on
the given application, the operating temperature of these
devices varies from 150 °C (automotive electronics) to
1000 °C (a high-temperature interconnect for a thermionic
integrated circuit; Fendrock and Hong, 1990~. Adequate
packaging has to be provided to build functional modules
based on these devices, however. The primary issues to
be considered in high-temperature electronic packaging
are: (1) characterizing materials and their interactions at
high temperatures, (2) minimizing mechanical stresses
caused by thermal expansion mismatches, (3) providing a
suitable path for heat dissipation, and (4) providing
environmental protection. The first two items are of
particular importance as the upper temperature limits of
operation are increased. The overall goal of packaging is
to ensure reliable operation of semiconductor devices.
The selection of the packaging method used is based
on cost/performance tradeoff decisions, complexity of the
devices involved, system requirements, and the operating
temperature range. There are many different packaging
and interconnection schemes that can be successfully
applied to overcome the shortcomings of conventional
packages for high-temperature operation.
A successful package design will satisfy all given
applications and system requirements. For example,
microwave packaging will have to meet additional
requirements such as impedance matching, low dielectric
loss at microwave frequencies, low sensitivity of dielectric
and conductors to temperature changes, and low
capacitance of interconnect to the backside of radio
frequency ground plane. One approach to providing
hermetic electronic packaging suitable for operation at
higher temperatures is to rely on existing packaging
technology such as either the use of single metal packages
51
with electrical feedthroughs isolated by glass beads or the
use of multilayer ceramic packages (single or multichip).
Both types of packages have been successfully used for
high-temperature electronics. Another approach is to seek
improved packaging materials and designs that better
match the needs of high-temperature electronic systems.
This chapter focuses on the off-the-shelf packaging
technologies used in both the first level of high-
temperature electronic-system packaging, usually defined
as the chip packaging, and the second-level packaging,
which is defined as package-to-board interconnections.
Since some large hybrid microcircuits and multichip
modules closely resemble both first- and second-level
packaging and because the high-temperature electronic
boards are often ceramic with thick- or thin-film
metallization, they share the same materials and assembly
processes and are considered here to be the same high-
temperature electronic-packaging technology (Palmer and
Heckman, 1978; Palmer, in press).
CHIP PACKAGING
High-temperature electronic-packaging technologies
have been developed at least five times over the last four
decades (Palmer, in press): vacuum-tube computers (late
1940s), initial encounters with high-velocity missiles and
space probes (1950s), nuclear power plant instrumentation
(1960s; Kueser, 1965-1966), oil/gas/geothermal well-
logging instrumentation (late 1970s; Sinclair, 1979;
Veneruso, 1979), and special solar and Venus surface
probes (early 1980s; Jurgens, 19821. Current applications
include volume-limited power supplies and conversion
units, industrial process tracers, and automobile engine
controls. Since these applications are of limited volume,
the packaging of these devices is usually expensive due to
OCR for page 52
Materials for High-Temperature Semiconductor Devices
the lack of effort for further development and optimization
at the package level. The high-reliability packaging
schemes used today for long-service military systems do
offer considerable high-temperature-operation capability
(Palmer, in press).
The most widely used metal package is gold-plated
Kovar (an alloy of 53 percent iron, 29 percent nickel, and
18 percent cobalt). The finish is usually a
high-temperature-res~stant 24-karat gold that Is plated to
a thickness of 100 micro-inches or greater. The
underplating should be an electroless nickel plating
containing 8-12 percent phosphorus that is plated to a
thickness of 100-200 micro-inches (Licari and Enlow,
19881. The output leads are sealed into the Kovar package
sidewalls or floor using glass-to-metal seals or ceramic
feedthroughs. Metal packages consist of two
configurations: plug-in or flatpack types. These metal
packages can be designed with welded lids, thus assuring
seal integrity at high temperatures (Palmer, in press).
These packages have been evaluated to 400 °C with
satisfactory results. The most common failure is due to
the lack of mechanical and electrical integrity of the glass
or ceramic feedthrough at high operating temperatures and
after thermal cycling (Johnson, in press). As the service
temperatures are increased, the electrical resistance and
the hermeticity of the seal is degraded. Since the glass
seal is formed at 500 °C, other types of seals need to be
investigated for operating temperatures above 400 °C
(Johnson, in press).
Another widely used type of package that also
provides good high-temperature performance along with
hermeticity is the ceramic package. The most attractive
ceramic package for use in high-temperature applications
is the aluminum-nitride package; however, the most often
used is the less costly alumina. Ceramic packages are
manufactured using a cofired tape process and have an
advantage over metal packages because they can avoid the
use of expensive fragile glass-to-metal seals. Ceramic
packages can be designed as integral-lead packages,
leadless chip carriers, and leaded chip carriers. An
advantage of the integral-lead package is that the
input/output leads can be spaced very closely. The
packages may be sealed either by soldering or by welding.
Temperature limitations for ceramic packages depend on
the type of sealing method used. These packages are not
suitable for high-current applications due to the res~st~vity
of the refractory metals used as conductors. The use of
52
packages with short tungsten conductors is also
recommended since these packages will increase in
resistance by about five times from room temperature to
500 °C. In addition, the insulation resistance at elevated
temperature decreases by approximately 40 percent
(Figure 5-1; Johnson, in press).
Today's plastic packages are not suitable for
applications above 150 °C (Palmer, in press). For
example, the glass transition temperature of commonly
used packaging epoxies lies in the range of 130-170 °C,
which limits the operating temperature range of the
package. Unlike their hermetic counterpart, plastic
packages subject wire bonds to extreme stresses if the
package undergoes large temperature swings (e.g., -55-
300 °C; Harman, in press). Silicone-gel coatings have
recently been evaluated as an alternative to hermetic
packages for high-reliability applications and the results
have been promising. The continued use of plastic
packages is highly desirable, thus the development of new
higher-temperature materials is of great importance.
Besides the selection of the type of package, it is
necessary to select the substrate, the component
attachment method, the chip interconnection technique,
and the sealing process. Understanding both material
1014
lo13
ends
10~,
u)
o
.~
.2
.cn
U'
1o1o _
109 _
1o8 _
1o7 _
1o6 _
-
Forsterite
\ \\\\ \99% Alumina
. Alumina \~\
`~` " \ Magnesia
Steatite '-
_ Sapphire
jo5~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I
200 400 600800 1000 1200
Temperature (°C)
FIGURE 5-1 Decrease in insulation resistance as a function of
temperature. SOURCE: Johnson (in press), ~ IEEE.
OCR for page 53
High-Temperature Electronic Packaging
behavior and material interactions is of great importance.
As the conventional materials are used beyond the
temperature range for which they were originally
developed, new failure mechanisms appear. The result is
that some material systems are no longer viable. Even
when the available materials are individually suitable for
use at high temperatures, the devices may fail due to
thermomechanical stresses or other interactions between
various components of the material system. In the
following section, brief descriptions of standard
attachment and assembly processes are Riven. Sunnortina
information on materials properties IS also supplied.
J
- ~ r ~of -rr--~--~o
. . .
SUBSTRATES
The selection of the substrate material is dictated by
the combination of thermal, electrical, and mechanical
design requirements for the given application. Key
substrate properties for materials presently being used are
given in Table 5-1. Alumina, Al2O3, is the most widely
used ceramic substrate, and many high-temperature
electronic systems have used this material without
difficulty (Herman, in press). Both alumina and AlN can
be used as a substrate in two different ways: they can
provide the mechanical support structure for the
deposition of thin-film interconnections or they can house
part of the interconnection structure (cofired with
molybdenum or tungsten). A significant advantage
associated with the use of AlN and SiC is their high
thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion,
which is close to that of silicon (and almost all wide
bandgap semiconductors). Diamond can also be used as a
substrate material. When using such a substrate material,
less stress between the substrate and chip is generated
during the temperature excursions encountered in the
manufacture and operation of the substrate assembly. It
should be noted that SiC has a high dielectric constant and
high dissipation factor limiting its use as a substrate.
The limitation of the use of AlN is the availability of
chemically compatible thick-film pastes. Recently, a broad
range of thick-film-paste materials for use on and in AlN
substrates, including gold-based conductors. multilaver
dielectric, and resistors have been developed (Tables 5-2
to 5-4; Chitale et al., 1994; Shaikh, 1994~.
Diamond is a promising material to serve as a
substrate for high-temperature electronics. It has the
53
highest thermal conductivity of any material at room
temperature (1,700 W/m K). Diamond use is currently
restricted by its cost and limited compatibility with thin-
and thick-film metallization. However, the extremely high
thermal conductivity of diamond, coupled with its
electrically insulating nature and very low thermal
expansion, make it a worthwhile subject for studying the
manufacturing technology issues that must be resolved in
order to make available 1-mm-thick diamond material in
100 mm (4 in.) or larger sizes at reasonable cost (Eden,
19941.
THICK-FILM AND THIN-lILM
METALLIZATION
The desired characteristics of a metallization system
are good adhesion to the substrate, low stress, good
electrical conductivity, and minimal reactions at
subsequent processing or assembly steps. Thick-film
conductors based on noble metals have been successfully
used for high-temperature applications (Bonn and Palmer,
1980: Shaikh, 19941. Typical metallurgies include
tungsten, molybdenum, gold, Pt/Au, Pt/Ag, Pd/Ag, and
Pt/Pd/Ag. The properties of most common metals that are
considered for multilayer, cofired ceramic substrates are
given in Table 5-5 (Palmer, in press).
Electrical properties of thick- or thin-film conductors
differ at high temperatures. The resistivity always
increases and the temperature coefficient of resistivity
always changes. For example, the temperature coefficient
of resistivity of thin-film gold is +0.0016/°C; for
platinum it is +0.0027/°C and for tungsten it is
0.0046/°C. These resistivity changes must be taken into
account for high-temperature applications. The disparity
in thermal expansivities between the dielectric material
(either substrate or interlevel dielectric) is about 3.7-6.8
ppm/°C, and such metals as silver (19 ppm/°C), gold (14
ppm/°C), and Ag/Pd (~ 19 ppm/°C) is substantial. This
difference causes the metal to shrink more than the
ceramic during processing and assembly or during power
cycling. The cylindrical metal in the via hole begins to
shrink more than the surrounding ceramic and can cause
an annular void space between the via metallization and
the ceramic. The most promising materials for high-
temperature applications, from a mechanical point of
view, are A1N substrates with cofired tungsten
OCR for page 54
Materials for High-Temperature Semiconductor Devices
TABLE 5-1 Properties of Ceranuc AIN, Ceranuc SiC, Glass :E Ceramics as Compared wide 90 percent Alumina
Substrate Properties Ceramic A1N Ceramic SiC BeO
Glass +
Ceramics
90%
A12O3
20
Thermal conductivity
(W/m K)
230
270
260
5
Coefficient of thermal 43 37 75 30-42 67
expansion
(25-400 C) (10- / C)
Dielectric constant at 1
MHz
8.9
Flexural strength (Kg/cm2) 3,500-4,000
42
6.7 3.9-7.8 9.4
4,500 2,500 1,500 3,000
Thin-film metals Ti/Pd/Au Ti/Cu Cr/Cu.Au Cr/Cu
NiCr/Pd/Au
Thick-film metals Ag-Pd Au Au.Cu.Ag-Pd
Cu Ag-Pd Cu.Au
Cofired metals W Mo W Au.Cu.Ag-Pd W.Mo
Cooling capability
Air (°C/W) 6 5 5 60 30
Water (°C/W)a ~ 1 < 1 ~ 1 < 1 < 1
a External cooling.
conductors. Nickel is plated on the exposed conductors
and is diffusion-bonded to the base metal for enhanced
a&esion. Following the nickel diffusion process, a layer
of gold is deposited to prevent formation of nickel oxide
and to enhance Nettability during subsequent soldering or
brazing processes. The final plating step is the application
of heavy gold on the wiring pads to accommodate chip
interconnection bonding.
The a&esion between A1N and tungsten is mechanical
in nature, where joining strength is presumably provided
by grain interlocking or anchoring across the interface.
The microstructurally toughened interracial a&esion also
assures that the cofired multilayer substrate maintains the
high thermal conductivity and mechanical strength of
typical monolithic A1N (Chiao et al., 1991~.
Thin-film metallizations have also been successfully
used at high temperatures. The metallurgies most often
used are a gold base with titanium or chromium for
obtaining adequate a&esion and platinum or palladium as
barrier layers. Gold is a suitable metal for this application
because it has superior conductivity, protects the surface
from environmental attack, and helps ensure bondability.
54
For diamond substrates, various thin-film conductors
have been reported. For example, Au/Pt/Ti metallization
was studied by Davis (19931. In this system, platinum
prevents interdiffusion between titanium and gold up to
temperatures of 400 °C during the annealing process.
However, when annealed at 500 °C, decorated patterns
are observed on the surface of the gold layer, indicating
interdiffusion between the deposited metals. After
annealing at 400 °C, the sheet-resistance value had
increased by 40 percent. Furthermore, at 500 °C a 139
percent change in the value of sheet resistance was
observed. Other examples of suitable metallurgical
systems are Au/Ti-W and Au/Cr. Au/Ti-W exhibits good
a&esion at temperatures up to 300 °C, but at 450 °C the
a&esion degradation can be attributed to surface changes
that resulted from the diffusion of Ti-W into the gold.
Au/Cr appears to be more stable than Au/Ti-W, and
improvements in a&esion have been observed after a
450 °C anneal.
Unless they are suitably protected, many thin films
experience increases in resistance when heated in air due
to their oxidation. Ultimately, they may be converted to
insulating films. It has been found that the increase in
OCR for page 55
High-Temperature Electronic Packaging
TABLE 5-2 Metall~zations for A1N Substrates
5835 D-8813 8835-1A
Product Number
D-8835-1D D-9633-Da 9601-N D-9913
Metal type Pt/Au Gold, Gold Ag/Pd Ag/Pd Ag/Pd Silver
alloyed
Fired Sickness, ,um 12-15 8-10 8-13 7-10 9-12 12-15 9-13
Resistive, mQ/O <60 <4 <7 <4 <35 <3 <2
Adhesions, initial
Kg
Adhesion, 200 hrs at
150 °C, Kg
4.5 > 5.0
>2.5 >2.5
>6.0
>3.0
Thermosoruc 25,um > 14 > 12 > 14 > 6 > 6
gold wire, g
Ultrasonic 250 Em
. .
aluminum wire, g
> 400 > 250 > 350 > 250
>5.0 >5.0
>3.0 >3.0
a This Ag/Pd conductor }has He highest initial adhesion. Unfortunately it Is incompatible win all over ES~ick-f~lm materials for A1N.
b Adhesion, 90° pull, 2 nun x 2 non pads.
resistance of a film is considerably greater than can be
accounted for on the basis of only reduced thickness of
the conductive portion of the film resulting from oxidation
of the surface. This is due to the fact that oxidation occurs
along the grain boundaries of the film as a result of either
oxygen diffusing in from the surface or from oxygen
trapped internally that precipitates at the grain boundaries
and forms an insulating phase.
COMPONENT ATTACHMENT
The primary method of securing the device to the
substrate (die attach) is by diffusional reaction of the
backside (usually metallized) with a substrate gold
metallization. This joint is designed to elastically absorb
the thermomechanical stress that accumulates between the
chip and the ceramic substrate, conferring excellent
fatigue resistance. There are three types of die-attach
materials that are most suitable for application in high-
temperature electronic assembly (i.e., hard solders, glass-
based die-attach materials, and the recently developed
amalgams). Hard solders provide electrically conductive
paths and have high thermal conductivity but are difficult
to rework.
~ ./
They also require high-temperature processing
conditions (depending on the alloy). They can be rigid and
55
brittle, causing cracking of a large die. Tests with Au/Si
and Au/Ge have satisfactorily demonstrated small chip
attachment (less than 9 mm on a side; Draper and Palmer,
1979~. The disadvantage of using hard solders stems
primarily from their lack of plastic flow, which leads to
high stress in the devices because of the thermal
expansion mismatch between the die and the substrate.
C.A. MacKay (1991) developed a new method of
making a bonding amalgam that has potential for
application in high-temperature electronics as die attach,
hermetic sealing, and heat-sink die attachment. An
amalgam is defined as a nonequilibrium, mechanically
alloyed material formed between a liquid metal and a
powder. In general, amalgams have low processing
temperatures. Nevertheless, they still yield materials with
thermal stabilities between 250 °C and 600 °C.
The use of molytabs might provide a solution for
reducing the high stresses that the hard solders impose on
the system. In this technique, the die is preattached to
gold-plated molybdenum tabs (molytabs) and then solder-
attached to the tape automated bonded (TABed) die from
the substrate bonding pads. The molytab, with a
coefficient of thermal expansion of approximately 5
ppm/°C, forms a buffer between the device and the
substrate.
OCR for page 56
Materials for High-Temperature Semiconductor Devices
TABLE 5-3 Dielectrics for A1N Substrates
Product designations
Thermal expansion coefficient
Dielectric constant Hi? 1 MHz)
Dissipation factor (@ 1 MHz)
Insulation resistance (100 VDC, 50 ,um thickness)
Breakdown voltage (50 rim thickness)
Adhesion to A1N
Compatibility
ESL# D-4907, ESL# D-4907-A
44 ~ 10-7/°C
5 - 7
0.5 - 0.8%
> 10~ Q
>2 kV
Exceeds substrate fracture strength
Most ESL Au and Ag conductors
ESL# R-300 resistor series
(when printed on the dielectric)
Silver-glass-paste adhesives have also found an
application in the assembly of high-temperature electronic
devices. These materials are reflowed at temperatures of
400-450 °C. The glass recrystallizes during the reflow
cycle and can subsequently be exposed to temperatures in
excess of 400 °C (Johnson, in press). These materials
offer the possibility of the formation of void-free,
die-bond interfaces with excellent thermal stability. The
tendency for silver migration and the effect of thermal
cycling on the long-term adhesion of this system over
extended temperature ranges has not yet been studied,
however.
Polymer die attach is normally not practical for use at
temperatures above 250 °C where a nonconductive
attachment is needed. However, silicone/polyimide
adhesives can be made to operate effectively up to
400 °C. These materials offer the lowest cost when
compared with the gold-based hard solders. The use of
organic adhesives also supposedly lowers the thermal
. ~ ~
stress in devices. However, the use of organic adhesives
in high-temperature electronic packages has been limited
because of outgassing and poor thermal stability
(especially when filled with silver).
INTERCONNECTION
The typical interconnection methods used between
chips and substrates are wire bonding, tape automated
bonding, and flip-chip. Depending on the required
operating temperature, the current interconnection
methods may be limited by their material and mechanical
properties for elevated temperature applications. Wires
and bonds in a mono-metallic situation have been
56
evaluated for temperatures as high as 500 °C for up to
thousands of hours and appear to be relatively trouble-free
for either Au-Au or Al-A1 (Herman, in press). The
application of parallel-gap welding for bonding of 5-mil
annealed platinum wire to a 5,000 A platinum pad (with
an underlying base of titanium, molybdenum, and
7 ., 7
tungsten) sputter-deposited on a sapphire substrate has
been successfully developed for a high-temperature
interconnect (800-1000 °C) for a thermionic integrated
circuit (a vacuum integrated circuit technology; Fendrock
and Hong, 19901.
Problems arise when dissimilar metals are joined. For
example, in case of Au-A1 intermetallic compounds,
Kirkendall voids can form, weakening the interface.
Another area of concern is the thermally induced change
that can take place within some metallic materials
themselves (Herman, in press). Two examples are
reconstruction and creep in solders and crystallographic
and electromigration changes in thin aluminum films and
wire. Solders may be reliably operated at temperatures
close to their melting point. Either substitute materials
must be developed (for flip-chip) or all connections
including package leads to the board must be welded
either by using thermocompression or thermosonic
methods (Johnson, in press). For example, the gold
bumps in TAB provide connections between the aluminum
pads (separated by a barrier metal to prevent diffusion and
intermetallic formation at Al/Au interface) and the copper
tape. These inner lead connections are made using a
thermocompression technique. For outer lead bonding
some type of welding is recommended. Exposed copper
metal on tape should be completely plated with gold to
avoid copper oxidation. While this technology shows great
promise for high-temperature electronic applications,
OTT · ~
,J
OCR for page 57
High-Temperature Electronic Packaging
TABLE 5~ Summary of Properties of Metall~zations for A1N
Wirebondable Conductors
FX 30-010 FX-30-011 FX-30-022 FX-30-023
Metallurgy Gold Au/Pd Gold Au/Pd
Application
Multilayer Multilayer Single layer Single layer
Wire type Gold Silver Gold Al
Resistivity 2.5-3.5 4.0-5.5 2.5-3.0 4-5
(mQ/O at 1 mil)
Wirebond strength (g) 9-11 11-13 10-12 12-14
Thermal conductivity 180 180 180 180
W/m~~K~~
Solderable Conductors
FX 34-100
FX 31-012
Metallurgy Ag/Pd Pt/Au
Resistivity 13-16 16-181
(mQ/C~ at 1 mil)
Solderability (seconds to 100% 1 1
coverage in 60/40 Sn/Pb)
Solder leach resistance 25-30 20
(1 s dips to 80% retained)
90° peel adhesion
(1 lb on 80 mil x 80 mil pad)
Initial 10-14 8-13
Aged (150 °C, 48 furs) 8-10 2
bumped die and tapes are not readily available in the
United States.
SECOND-LEVEL PACKAGING
Traditional packaging solutions for high-temperature
applications have usually depended on inorganic substrates
(e.g., alumina) and refractory metal conductors (e.g.,
tungsten and molybdenum). Since these materials require
processing temperatures in excess of 1000 °C, their
performance at high operating temperatures is inherent.
The connections to these refractory conductors must also
tolerate the operating environment and are therefore
formed by welding, brazing, or high-temperature
57
soldering (i.e., metal-loaded glass frit solder). Selection
of materials for these connections must accommodate the
increased diffusion caused by long-term, high-temperature
operation.
Recent advances in organic dielectrics have allowed
some application of organic, printed circuit boards in
high-temperature environments, primarily for reduced
cost. Polyimide printed circuit boards patterned with
nickel, nickel-plated copper, or nickel-plated tin are
common combinations. The bondability of nickel for
welding or soldering is often improved by the selective
deposition of gold over the bond sites.
Some applications, however, require the use of large
very-large-scale-integrated (VLSI) devices that would be
unreliable if attached to substrates with significantly
OCR for page 58
Materials for High-Temperature Semiconductor Devices
TABLE 5-5 Typical Cofired Metals
Electrical Thermal
Melting PointResistivity Thermal Expansion Conductivity
Metal (°C)(10-8 Q m) (10-7/°C) (W/m K)
Silver 9601.6 197 418
Gold 10632.2 142 297
Copper 1083 1.7 170 397
Palladium 1552 10.8 110 71
Platinum 1774 10.6 90 71
Molybdenum 2625 5.2 50 146
Tungsten 3415 5.5 45 201
different coefficients of thermal expansion. In these
applications, silicon, or other ceramics, is the substrate
material of choice. Conductors of patterned tungsten are
used, although aluminum can be used if sufficiently
protected with a high-temperature dielectric such as
phospho-silicate glass or silicon nitride.
SUMMARY
Although high-temperature wide bandgap devices are
being developed, they can only be successfully
implemented into commercial applications if the packaging
technology is developed in parallel to provide a cost and
performance advantage. Novel approaches should be
examined based on the existing knowledge of advanced
packaging technologies, especially multichip modules. All
of the integrated circuit wide bandgap devices for high-
temperature electronics that are being developed are of a
lower density of integration than existing complementary
metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), silicon-on-insulator
(SOI), or even GaAs devices. Although existing packaging
technologies can support the operation of high-temperature
electronic integrated circuits, SiC, A1N, and diamond
technology for packaging applications should be examined
since the use of these materials will minimize the thermal
mismatch and reduce any resulting stresses. The
utilization of diamond and AlN as dielectric materials for
multilayer interconnects deposited either on cofired A1N
or on blank A1N, SiC, and diamond substrates should also
be a part of the investigation. The use of SiC-encapsulated
semiconductor devices (as demonstrated by Dow Corning)
should also be considered. This technology ensures a
hermetic die, which is very important for the devices
working at elevated temperatures because chemical
,
58
reaction rates are much higher at these temperatures. SiC
encapsulation should be examined in conjunction with area
array connections. Area array connections, such as
tungsten bumps overplated with nickel and gold or copper
bumps, are more suitable for high-temperature electronics
than the traditional PbSn flip-chip attachment method.
Other metallurgical structures should also be examined.
Although there is no immediate need for the
implementation of flip-chip or multichip module
technology in high-temperature electronic applications, the
benefits of developing these technologies could
substantially affect the cost and performance of high-
temperature electronics. For example, when using high-
temperature electronics in conjunction with multichip
module technology, the reliability of the system is
improved due to a reduction in the number of
metallurgical connections. In multichip module packages,
the signal travels directly from chip to chip, all within the
protection of a hermetic environment (Figure 5-2; Pedder,
1988~.
As an interim solution, the following packaging
schemes that are based on existing packaging technologies
can be used in the temperature ranges specified below:
· For temperatures <200 °C
nonhermetic with silicones
metal (welding, AuSn, gold diffusion)
ceramic (welding, AuSn, glass, gold
diffusion);
· For temperatures < 300 °C
-metal (welding, AuSn, gold diffusion)
ceramic (welding, AuSn, glass, gold
diffusion);
OCR for page 59
High-Temperature Electronic Packaging
1 Wire-bond 9
f '
~ !
/ 2 Package 8 \
/ /3 Leads 7 \
4 Solder Joints
5 Circuit Board
Single Chip Package Assembly
1 Wire-bond 2
\
it/
~ ~ IF any
3 Silicon Substrate
Multichip Module Assembly
FIGURE 5-2 Reduction from rune to Tree electrical paw segments between two integrated circuits win multichip module technology.
SOURCE: Pedder (1988).
For temperatures <400 °C
-metal (welding, gold diffusion)
ceramic (welding, glass, gold diffusion);
and
For temperatures < 500 °C
ceramic (welding, gold diffusion)
-sealed chip technology: Si3N4, SiO2,
diamond.
While materials and processes exist to meet the
packaging challenges of high-temperature electronics
whenever the market can match its needs with the
supplier, better packaging solutions can be developed for
high-temperature electronic applications when more
complex and powerful systems are required. The use of
existing high-density multichip module designs can
leverage the development of high-temperature electronic
systems by careful selection of the material systems used.
59
There is not an upper temperature that should be feared
by packaging engineers any more than by the device
physicist (Johnson, in press). Since high-temperature
electronic devices and systems may undergo large
temperature excursions depending on their applications
(e.g., jet engines and spacecraft), the material and
electrical properties will change accordingly (Sampson
and Mattox, 19911. This change will be accompanied by
the structural stresses on the chip and its package that are
caused by the different thermal coefficients of expansion.
Therefore, there is a need for an electrical and mechanical
simulation for the proposed circuit. Nevertheless, basic
material properties (for example, intermetallic
compounds) must be examined over the wide temperature
range that may be encountered in high-temperature
electronics on both the short-term and long-term high-
temperature behavior of the materials systems used in
assembly and packaging (Herman, in press).
OCR for page 60
Representative terms from entire chapter:
semiconductor devices